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Review of Gone for You

Publisher: Sixth Street Press

Publication Date: April 28, 2015

Cameron is the guitarist for Caged, a rock band based out of Texas. He’s used to having his choice of women, all more than willing to throw themselves at him for a one-nighter. When a traffic accident involving Caged’s drummer occurs, Cameron has to stay at an exclusive spa before his next big concert. He meets Lily, a competent, hard-working student who is very different from the women he usually meets. He’s intrigued by her and decides to sweep her off her feet. She will be the girl of the moment.

Gone for You is a rock romance that is told exclusively from Cameron’s point-of-view. This is the first time (I think, don’t hold me to it) I’ve encountered a romance told solely from the male viewpoint. I liked it, but then I also liked Cameron. I started out liking Lily because she seemed feisty and unmoved by Cameron’s glamour, but she fell for him far too quickly. At one point, shy, sweet Lily starts calling people “shits” and that seemed so out-of-character and jarring it disrupted my reading.

Some of the initial scenes with Cameron and Lily were a lot of fun, especially the one in which Lily orders clothes for Cameron. Very good naturedly Cameron went along with the joke and that did an awful lot for his appeal.

Lately there seem to be a lot of romance novels that employ immediate “love.” I noted that one reviewer of romances called it “insta-love” and that seems to fit. It’s not “love-at-first-sight”; it tries to differentiate itself, but to what end? Sure, I could see where Cameron would be intrigued by Lily, because initially she was very different from all of the other girls, but then she wasn’t and there just wasn’t enough between them for “love.” It’s lust, dears. Ripping each other’s clothes off a day after knowing each other is: lust. It has its place, why misrepresent it?

Unfortunately, it did seem like Gone for You‘s appeal waned after Cameron and Lily had sex. Probably because the “obstacle” to keep them apart was emotional, and heavily resting on emotional maturity, and not substantial. I felt like: I’ve read this novel before.

I am hoping that future offerings in the Sixth Street Band Series will try to explore rock and romance with the fresh perspective and humor that Gone for You seemed initially inclined to provide.